Cuvee Jean Paul Medium Dry White 2016

Tasting Note

A smooth and supple medium white wine produced from quality grapes sourced from Vin de Pays Cotes de Gascogne. The deliciously fresh and super aromatic nose has intense nettle and citrus. The palate has some weight as well as being soft and approachable, with stonefruit, hints of citrus and a lasting finish. The flavour is fresh, smooth and well balanced, making this an uncomplicated easy-drinking medium dry white wine of character.

Producer Details

In south west France (south of Bordeaux), Gascony is the home of foie gras, d’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers; more importantly for the importers Boutinot, it has been the source of their white bistro wines for the past twenty five years. Gascony is cool enough to produce white wines which are streaked with refreshing acidity and sparkle with zesty aromatics, perfect for Cuvée Jean Paul or Mas de Vigneron.

Tasting raw wines in the wintry months of December and January in unheated and purposefully chilly cellars is challenging, particularly just after breakfast, but a task Samantha has championed. The task continues throughout the year as Samantha rigorously blends all the components she has retained to maintain consistency across the frequent bottlings they make throughout the year to keep their wines fresh and long-lived.

In The Vineyard

The rolling hills between the scattered medieval towns and villages of Gascony are predominately white wine country. Designated Pays de Gascogne in 1982, it was to here that Paul Boutinot was drawn to source his white wines from the locally grown Colombard and Ugni Blanc grape varieties. Vines are trained using the Guyot system and vigorous grape selection is used to capture the fresh aromotics and flavour of this Blanc de Blancs from the southwest province of Gascony.

In The Winery

On delivery to the cellar, the grapes are cooled by gas (CO2), undergo maceration pelliculaire for 6-15 hours, then pneumatic pressing, and debourbage a froid. Alcoholic fermentation is started by cultured yeast and once fermentation is complete, the wine is conserved on the lees to retain maximum freshness.

The Demi-Sec has a softer, more rounded palate than the Sec which is due to an additional 2g/l residual sugar.

Food Recommendations

An easy quaffer really but you could drink with plain chicken dishes or simple cheese sandwiches.